originate

verb

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orig·i·nate | \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt

originated; originating

Definition of originate

intransitive verb

: to take or have origin : begin That board game originated in the 1940s.

transitive verb

: to give rise to : initiate The composer originated 10 songs for the Broadway musical.

Other Words from originate Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing originate Learn More About originate

Choose the Right Synonym for originate

spring, arise, rise, originate, derive, flow, issue, emanate, proceed, stem mean to come up or out of something into existence. spring implies rapid or sudden emerging. an idea that springs to mind arise and rise may both convey the fact of coming into existence or notice but rise often stresses gradual growth or ascent. new questions have arisen slowly rose to prominence originate implies a definite source or starting point. the fire originated in the basement derive implies a prior existence in another form. the holiday derives from an ancient Roman feast flow adds to spring a suggestion of abundance or ease of inception. words flowed easily from her pen issue suggests emerging from confinement through an outlet. blood issued from the cut emanate applies to the coming of something immaterial (such as a thought) from a source. reports emanating from the capital proceed stresses place of origin, derivation, parentage, or logical cause. advice that proceeds from the best of intentions stem implies originating by dividing or branching off from something as an outgrowth or subordinate development. industries stemming from space research

Examples of originate in a Sentence

These stories originated during earlier times. The book originated as a series of lectures. The sound seemed to originate from outside the room. The custom is believed to have originated in the western U.S. He did not originate the idea. The policy was originated by the previous administration. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Locations such as the Great Plains in the United States and the La Plata basin in South America are particularly vulnerable to the types of thunderstorms from which megaflashes originate. — Caitlin Kaiser And Judson Jones, CNN, 31 Jan. 2022 Lyko led the ambitious genome study that established the extraordinary fact that all marbled crayfish originate from a single foundational female. — Kate Connolly, Wired, 22 Jan. 2022 One-fifth of searches for real estate in Miami originate from the New York City area; another 8% from Washington, D.C. Washington and New York make up 15% of the demand for Tampa housing. — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2022 Secondary brain tumors, which originate elsewhere in the body and then spread to the brain, are more common. — Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 19 Apr. 2022 Global sources of lithium amount to 89 million tons, most of which originate in South America, according to a recent United States Geological Survey report. — Shel Evergreen, Ars Technica, 19 Apr. 2022 All plants at the sale originate from seed collected within 100 miles of DuPage County and are not treated with insecticides containing neonictinoids, which are harmful to bees and other pollinators. — Naperville Sun Staff, chicagotribune.com, 1 Apr. 2022 The system of science doesn’t reward the researchers who reproduce an experiment’s results as highly as the ones who originate it. — Stephen Jacobs, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2022 Although companies must protect themselves at the network and system level, past precedent shows that attacks can originate from even a single compromised device, account or email address. — Rishi Iyengar, CNN, 23 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'originate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Originate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/originate. Accessed 21 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for originate

originate

verb

orig·i·nate | \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt

originated; originating

Kids Definition of originate

1 : to bring into being : invent, initiate I had lots of time to cook … and I must say I originated some excellent meals.— Jean Craighead George, My Side of the Mountain

2 : to come into being The custom originated in ancient times.

originate

verb

orig·i·nate | \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnāt

originated; originating

Legal Definition of originate

transitive verb

: to give rise to specifically : to issue (a mortgage loan) usually for subsequent sale in a pool of mortgage loans to a secondary market — compare service

intransitive verb

: to take or have origin

Other Words from originate

origination \ ə-ˌri-jə-ˈnā-shən

\ noun

originator \ ə-ˈri-jə-ˌnā-tər

\ noun